


Runes

by KestrelShrike



Series: Anthesis-Side Stories [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cave sex, Elven artifacts, F/M, NSFW, Runes, Sex, Sexual Solas, Smut, The Fade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-04-22
Packaged: 2018-03-25 04:39:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3796996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KestrelShrike/pseuds/KestrelShrike
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was anonymously given the prompt 'take my hand.' Instead of being good and writing something romantic and lovely, I wrote smut instead. Sorry, mom and dad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Runes

“Take my hand and close your eyes.” It was not the strangest request Solas had made of her, but Maiwe still hesitated. To be deprived of one of her senses, even for a short amount of time, made something within her panic. Her breath, already a precious commodity, drew up short, heart pounding. Yet she trusted Solas, as much as she could trust anyone. There was always that little voice that said not to give herself wholly, but it was growing increasingly quiet.

Her hand was cool in his. Maiwe ran cold most of the time, body shivering in the frosted air. Even this small touch sent warmth flooding through her. It gave her the confidence to shut her eyes. The last thing she saw before allowing the darkness to creep in was the smile that laid so comfortably on Solas’ face, the hint of mischief there that made her smile in return.

Scattered throughout the Exalted Plains were old ruins, remnants of a civilization long gone. Maiwe and Solas shared a passion for exploring them. He knew so much about them, seemed to know every secret, and in turn, Maiwe listened to his every word. He seemed so grateful to have an audience, an expression in his eyes that she rarely saw in other circumstances. His voice contained so much excitement, as of yet unequaled by anything else she had heard before.

They had stood before the mouth of one such ruin when Solas made his request. It was built into a hillside, roots breaking up what mortar remained so that the held the structure together, even as they pushed errant bits of stone to the ground. Even the plants here seemed dull, beat down by the sun and the aura of hopelessness that permeated every molecule of air. As interesting as the Exalted Plains were, they were also deeply depressing. Everywhere Maiwe looked, there was another reminder of who her people had once been, and what they were now.

With her eyes shut, all those details were lost to her. The presence of Solas’ hand comforted her and pressed the bad air away. Each step she took was faltering, afraid to trip over broken flagstones, more afraid that she would be left in this darkness alone. The air inside was musty, making her broken lungs protest, tickling her throat even as she suppressed it. Would her cough ruin everything it touched? Could she not have one normal moment? The darkness pressed in on her, warping her thoughts, until Solas spoke again. His voice was calm and assured, as it so often was. His hand did not let go of hers, his thumb rubbing slowly over her palm, tracing the lines deeply engraved.

“You may open your eyes.” Maiwe felt her lids jerk upward. It was still pitch black. Solas withdrew his hand for a moment, the soft rustle of his clothing the only noise alongside her labored breath, built up from panic. Though she could not see him, she sensed the air that moved as Solas waved one hand. A veilfire torch sprang to life in his hand. Though she had seen this particular trick before, it did not grow less impressive. The veilfire illuminated little, its magical glow mostly highlighting Solas’ face, seeming to linger on his cheekbones like a light kiss.

Before them, just at the furthest arc of the light, was another elven artifact. This is what Solas had taken her to see? They had seen a half dozen of these orbs before. They made the veil between the worlds stronger and kept demons from leaking through.

He must have seen the puzzlement on her face, though Maiwe tried to stay neutral. “Activate it.” Well, that is what she had done with all of them thus far. Only the Anchor seemed to bring them to life, whatever they were. She held it as a point of pride- she could do something none of the Mages could. There was something akin to magic in her bones now, even if it was a force little understood, even if it caused her pain.

Activating the orbs was not as painful as closing a Rift. There was only the smallest tingle, a vague pins and needles suggestion, as she concentrated the green energy downward. The orb seemed to pick up on it instantly, beginning to spin, soon generating its own dim light. Whatever force it produced was the same energy as the mark itself, but it felt significantly more benevolent.

The space they were in was not so large that the orb could not illuminate it. It seemed to spread slowly, a syrupy quality to the way it moved. As it reached the walls, it lit up something entirely unexpected- runes, hundreds of them, barely a space between them. They came to life, as blue as veilfire, so that it looked like Solas and Maiwe were deep underwater. It was entirely unnatural, but its beauty silenced her for a long moment, her hand reached to grasp Solas’ tightly. He looked proud of himself, of his discovery.

“What do they say?” When Maiwe spoke again, her voice sounded small to her own ears. She could not read the runes, but they must have said something important.

“They are runes of protection. This place must have been important once, though I am unable to discern its purpose.” He broke contact with her once more, this time to remove a thick quilt from his bag, and a bottle of wine. “It is benevolent, if you are worried. I can feel it wrapping around me.” This was likely the strangest place Maiwe had ever had a picnic before, but it was also the most beautiful. The artifact made a humming noise, not unpleasant. Here, in this little stone room, she felt safe as she never had before. Here, she felt she could suddenly breathe, as if the air had come from a pure mountain. It enveloped her, welcomed her, beckoned her to spend some time. It might not have been the type of environment most would like, but Solas was not most people. This was a scheme only he could dream up.

Their relationship had, thus far, moved on Solas’ terms. He did nothing that would offend Maiwe, but he initiated their romantic gestures. He had made her wait for him and now he always left her guessing. He was unpredictable- a quality to be much admired, but did not bode well for stability. No! No negative thoughts now.

Solas looked surprised when Maiwe leaned forward, her lips against his, desperate and hungry. By the diffuse, magical light, he had never looked more beautiful to her, as if he should be up on those walls himself, an abstraction of a figure rather than flesh and blood. He was even more surprised when her hands drifted downward. It had not been in his original plans. Why here and why now?

“It’s beautiful.” She held him close firmly, even as one hand unlaced his trousers. “I can feel how important this once was. It is important now. Please, let us share this. Let us not quibble on what it means to be elven.” Solas could not argue with her words, or perhaps did not blood in the appropriate region to do so. He was as greedy as she was, peeling off armor without a care for where it lay. How did this woman, this Inquisitor, make him feel so young again? How did she make him feel so connected to a common heritage he sought to push away?

Maiwe pulled Solas down on top of her. They were both half dressed, but she moved with urgency. The magic in this place may not hold out forever. They may not get another opportunity like this. Her life moved too suddenly, in stops and starts, in uncertain bursts dictated by health and Rifts and Corypheus. She sought to push it all from her mind, instead pulling Solas inside her with a gasp, losing herself to an insistent rhythm that her hips rose to meet.

By the light of the ancient artifact, they rediscovered each other, seeing their bodies in new ways. Solas seemed to glow from within, while the long markings of Falon’din’s vallaslin slid over Maiwe’s body as sinuously as snakes, catching the light and reflecting it back. For this moment, they could be together, sweat and a mutual love of a world that had passed forging them together into one.


End file.
